With a smile drawn on, sit back and breathe
by BabyBrown
Summary: A prompt fill for chicagofire-tv's HOLIDAY GIFT EXCHANGE
1. Chapter 1

_Written for chicagofire-tv's (at livejournal)_** Holiday Gift Exchange**

* * *

_[PROMPT] Kelly + anyone random [ie. Hallie, Gabby, Peter Mills] | With a smile drawn on, sit back and breathe..._

* * *

The first time he met Gabriela Dawson, they hadn't gotten off to the greatest start.

It was at the station house after a four alarm fire, and eager to take a hot shower to numb the mind-blowing pain in his shoulder, Kelly hadn't realized the bathroom was already occupied when he carelessly threw open the door. Just missing her face, Gabby's chest received the full brunt of the blow. As she began cursing him out in Spanish, words he couldn't even begin to understand, Kelly couldn't help but wonder what other mysteries that mouth could reveal. She was hot and feisty, and the way she was rubbing her boobs was making his mind go to that dirty place.

_(He'd be a lying son of a bitch if he said he still doesn't think about it. Hell, that kind of thinking was embedded in his DNA - a fucking knee jerk reaction.) _

Then Leslie popped out of one of the stalls and with one look told him to back off; a look she followed up that night in their apartment with a stern "_Don't even think about it Kelly. I want to keep this one for longer than a couple weeks_." Since he felt _kinda_ guilty about being the reason her previous partner quit, a casualty of his fuck-and-duck routine, Kelly promised to keep his distance.

Now as he walks into the station's kitchen, empty save for a petite form standing over the stove, he reminds himself that he's not _really_ breaking his promise to Leslie.

Because sitting with Gabby, drinking her magical life-reaffirming made-from-scratch hot cocoa, is like a burst of oxygen after fighting a gruesome fire.

_(Seriously, that shit is made from fucking fairy dust or something. A sugar, spice and everything nice type deal.)_

He has no idea how it started, this graveyard shift ritual, but it has quickly become one of the rare moments of peace he has that doesn't require some kind of narcotic.

_(And shit, he'll take as many of those moments while he still can.)_

With only two things in common; their love of and loyalty to a certain blonde paramedic, he doesn't feel the need to fill the silence with bullshit small talk. Instead they speak in chairs pulled out and cups pushed across the counter, in tired smiles and the rustle of paper as a crossword puzzle is passed back and forth - the scratching of their pencils the loudest form of communication between them.

As much as he hates to admit it, he knows Leslie is right; it's only a matter of time before his inevitable crash and burn. But just sitting, just _being_, with someone who has no demands, has no expectations for him to be a better man, allows him to stay in his bubble of denial for a little bit longer.

And that's just as addicting as the pills he doesn't have stored in his locker.


	2. Chapter 2

"Somebody's doing the walk of shame this morning."

Despite all evidence to the contrary, Kelly knows she heard him. Tense shoulders, tense face, tense...you get the picture. Ignoring him is all just an act to make him drop it. Shay does the same thing and he wonders who taught who.

"You're wearing the same clothes you wore yesterday," he prods some more. His father was right, he never knew when to leave things alone. _(_Kelly senior however was a pro at it; left Kelly and his mom when he was only seven.)

"I wear the same thing everyday. It's called a uniform." Is her answer. Kelly chuckles, takes a look around before sitting on the bench beside her. The kitchen might be a public area but they aren't really friends. (Helping him out with his not-so-secret painkiller addiction does not make them friends. He thinks he can actually count the times they've been alone together with one hand.)

"Listen, I'll make you a deal. You help me with Mill's sister and I'll make sure nobody finds out about your new boytoy." He says, a cocky smirk on his face.

Gabby looks around, hoping no one heard him. He knows that the last thing she needs is for the entire station to find out she's fooling around with the new kid. She's got a reputation, as well as a lingering crush on Matt, to worry about. Satisfied no one seems to have heard, she turns to Kelly, an annoyed look on her face.

"Elise? Why do you need my help with Elise? Aren't you Mr. Stud?" She comments in a tone Kelly doesn't really like. He doesn't like being made fun of, but he bites his tongue, knowing that he needs to behave in order to get her help.

"Elise is...different from other girls I've dated."

Gabby snorts, "You mean smart enough to not fall for you?"

He gives her a sneer, and pulls out his cellphone. "I guess I'll have to tell Matt his new candidate is trying to sleep his way up the ladder."

With a panicked look on her face, Gabby relents. "Fine. Okay, I'll help you out with Elise." She sticks a finger in his face. "But this does not get back to Peter."

Kelly smiles and pats her on the back. "Thanks Dawson. I knew I could count on you."

"Bite me." Gabby says, a contemptuous look on her face.


End file.
